The exemplary embodiments presented herein relate to modifications to filter rod feeding trays and shipping containers so that porous masses may be incorporated into the production of segmented filters suitable for use in conjunction with smoking devices.
Porous masses described herein can be incorporated into smoking device filters and have been shown to reduce, and sometimes significantly reduce, the concentration of contaminants in a smoke stream. Generally, porous masses may comprise a plurality of binder particles and a plurality of active particles mechanically bound at a plurality of contact points, also referred to as sintered contact points. As used herein, the terms “mechanical bond,” “mechanically bonded,” “physical bond,” and the like refer to a physical connection that holds two particles at least partially together. Mechanical bonds, which may or may not involve chemical bonding, may be rigid or flexible depending on the binder material and the extent to which the contact points were sintered. It should be understood that as used herein, the terms “particle” and “particulate” may be used interchangeably and include all known shapes of materials, including spherical and/or ovular, substantially spherical and/or ovular, discus and/or platelet, flake, ligamental, acicular, fibrous, polygonal (such as cubic), randomly shaped (such as the shape of crushed rocks), faceted (such as the shape of crystals), or any hybrid thereof.
Filter rods can be produced at one location and shipped to a second (typically a different manufacturer) for producing the segmented filters and, in some instances, the corresponding smoking devices. Porous masses can be fragile and prone to chipping, denting, cracking, and the like, due, at least in part, to the bound nature of the structure and the composition of the binder materials. As such, shipping containers may, in some embodiments, have different strength and design parameters than conventional cellulose acetate filter rods shipping containers.
Producing segmented filters for smoking devices generally utilizes a combining machine where filter rods having various compositions are cut into segments. The filter segments are then combined in a desired order and wrapped and optionally adhered together to secure the segments together to form a segmented filter rod length. The segmented filter rod length can then be cut into segmented filters or segmented filter rods and optionally attached to a smokeable substance like a tobacco column. Utilization of filter rods at the beginning of the process typically involves loading containers of filter rods into feeding trays and loading the feeding trays into the transfer system of the combining machine, both of which are typically performed with mechanical arms. After the feeding trays with shipping containers loaded therein are placed in the transfer system of the combining machine, the shipping container is opened to allow feeding of the filter rods into a feeder.
Conventional filter rods for cigarettes typically consist of acetate cellulose and are about 5 mm to about 7 mm in diameter, about 80 mm to about 150 mm long, and about 0.4 g to about 0.9 g in weight. In some instances, porous masses may weigh about 2 to about 4 times more than a comparably sized conventional cellulose acetate filter rod. Therefore, adjustments to portions of the process for handling filter rods in the production of segmented filter rod may be necessary to accommodate the weight and fragility of the porous masses.